Arugam Bay Swell Window

Eastern Province, Sri Lanka · part of the Arugam Bay spot guide

Swell window (from): 80°–200° (E–SSW)
Best direction: ~135° (SE)
Period sweet spot: 12–18 s
Open-ocean height (Hs): 3–8 ft
Resulting faces: 2–8 ft

Open-ocean vs. the face: the heights on buoys and forecast models are significant wave height (Hs) in deep water. What you ride is the breaking face, which depends on period, direction and this break's bathymetry — that's why the two rows above differ. PierMonkey's spot ratings already do this conversion for you.

The east-southeast-facing point needs swell that can wrap, so the money direction is south to southeast refracting around the headland, best around 135°, at period of 12 to 18 seconds — long period lets distant energy bend and stand up while short windswell dies midday.

The height on a model is an open-ocean reading; the wrap keeps the face at or below it. A 5-to-8-foot open-ocean pulse is overhead-plus but down-the-line rather than barreling.

The storm corridor

Typical swell corridor to Arugam Bay: Southern Ocean lows sending long-period S–SE groundswell up to Sri Lanka’s east coast — Typical swell corridor (schematic straight line): Southern Ocean lows sending long-period S–SE groundswell up to Sri Lanka’s east coast.